Harry Potter and the Skulls Apprentice
by Luxona
Summary: -Harry P/Skullduggery P cross - Valkyrie has saved Skulduggery from a dimension of twisted, wrathful Gods - but at what cost? She finds herself tumbling into a strange alternate world, where magic is just as rare - except it's focused through a wand. She finds this hilarious, of course.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

'' _Harry Potter.''_

No. This couldn't be happening. Harry looked at the shocked faces all around him. After a second, most of Gryffindor stood up and started cheering, chanting his name. Angelina and the team looked conflicted, but there was no hostility. Neville, Ginny and Colin weren't looking at anyone, staring down at the table. Fred and George were standing up doing a jig, but he didn't concentrate too much on them. He was more concerned with Dean, Seamus and of all people, Ron, who were looking at him with anger and… jealousy? He silently appealed to Ron, but the redhead shook his head and looked away.

Turning, he looked towards Hermione for help. The bushy haired witch stared at him for a second, then sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

That's what hit him the most. The fact that _Hermione_ didn't believe in him. Ron, he understood to an extent. It wasn't unexpected. But her? He didn't really know how to deal with that. He turned and stared up at the old headmaster, wishing that somehow, some mistake was made. Dumbledore just stared back, a frown on his face.

' _Guess it's a good thing I made such loyal friends here.'_ Harry thought sourly as he walked towards the front of the room. He glanced around again. The Ravenclaws were looking at him in awe - it seemed as if they respected him for his supposed ability to hoodwink the cup. No… they didn't respect him for it, they were just curious, as always. The Slytherins, however, were a different story. Most, as per usual, were glaring at him, that wasn't a surprise. But there were some there who looked conflicted, confused. As if they didn't know how to feel about him. The Hufflepuffs were the most surprising. Every last one of them were glaring at him, angry that he had stolen their honor and pride.

He looked up at Dumbledore again as he passed, his last hope. But Dumbledore just looked down at him and... and he was furious. The man Harry had respected all these years was glaring down at him, in a mixture of anger and disappointment. That was unexpected.

Passing him, Harry realised he was on his own. Taking one last sweeping look around the hall, he made his decision.

* * *

Valkyrie watched smugly as Skulduggery and China stepped through the portal and returned to their homeworld. She was imagining just how much she would be able to brag about this as she walked forward to follow when she heard a shuffle behind her. Turning, she saw a decrepit old body slowly raising its hand towards her. She swore and threw a mass of shadows towards it, before turning and diving through the portal.

The shadows weren't enough to slow it, however, and she found herself flying sidewards, crashing through the wall into the building there. Muttering darkly, she got up and ran up the stairs of the building, looking for some way out. An ear shattering screech sounded behind her as the ancient one followed her into the building.

She crashed through the door at the top of the stairs, and found herself in an empty room. Cursing, she turned to find another way when she saw the ancient one simply standing in the doorway, watching her. ' _How the hell did it get here so fast?'_ She wondered belatedly as she was sent flying through the ceiling. Standing up quickly, she looked round and found herself on the roof.

She ran over to the edge and saw the portal lying still down there, flickering. She looked back and saw the being was about 2 inches from her face. Gasping in surprise, she stumbled backwards and fell, plummeting towards the portal. Suddenly the noise started again, the screaming, screeching hell was enough to make her ears bleed and her vision waver. She noticed through blurry eyes a dark blue beam of light shooting towards her, but as she fell through the portal she thanked the heavens that it never hit her, and then she blacked out.

* * *

Harry stood there, looking round at the hall. He took a deep breath and looked once again at Hermione. She didn't return the look, and he felt more certain about himself. ' _If that's the way they want to play it…'_

''I'm only going to say this once.'' He started, staring over the now silent hall. ''I did NOT put my name in that cup. I didn't ask anyone to put my name in, and I had no intentions whatsoever of entering. As such, I will be fighting tooth and nail to get out of it.''

He looked towards the Hufflepuffs then. ''I don't know Cedric, but under no circumstances do I want to take away the well deserved glory for you Hufflepuffs. As such, if I _am_ forced to compete, I will not be doing it as a representative of Hogwarts. That honor belongs with Cedric.

''To all you who don't believe me, I find myself uncaring. It has been made clear who I can really trust around here, and unfortunately that doesn't seem to be any of you right now. I thought at least Ron and Hermione would be on my side, but hey, what are friends for if not to stab you in the back, right? So I couldn't care less what you think of me. It's time I stopped concerning myself with the opinions of sheep, because that's what you lot are. You switch your opinions of me every day, believing whoever was the latest to feed you crap. One second I'm the savior of the wizarding world, the next I'm pure evil, the heir of Slytherin. But I suppose it would be much too hard for any of you to actually talk to me and form your own opinions, wouldn't it? Oh well.''

He stared around the stunned hall, glaring at them all. He saw shame on the faces of many, but he couldn't care less now. They had made their choice.

Turning, Harry swept from the hall and through to the antechamber where the rest of the champions were waiting.

''What ez eet?'' Fleur asked, looking at him. ''Do zey need us back in ze hall?''

''No.'' He said simply, then sat down in the corner of the room and crossed his arms, daring any of them to say something. Apparently his glare was sufficient to keep them away, because nobody said a thing. Fleur looked shocked that he had answered her like that - it seemed as if she was using her charm, but it was ineffective. Surprisingly, Krum had noticed this and seemed amused by the whole situation, while Cedric simply stared at Harry briefly, before shrugging and looking away.

After about a minutes wait, the door burst open again and a crowd stormed inside. Dumbledore led the other two headmasters, Snape, Moody, McGonagall, Bagman and Crouch into the room. Dumbledore walked over to Harry and stared down at him, attempting intimidation. He didn't seem to be in a good mood, for some reason. Harry smiled innocently back up at him, before leaning back and clasping his hands.

''Harry. I understand that you're angry, but you shouldn't have made a speech like that. The school is in an uproar! Whatever was said to you I'm sorry but-''

''Enough.'' Harry stood up and stared the old man in the eye. ''Can you or can you not get me out of this deathtrap you call a tournament?''

''Harry, I-''

''Can you. Or can you not?''

''...no. I can't, it's a binding contract, there's nothin-''

''Then I have nothing to say to you. I couldn't care less.''

''But Harry, please I-''

''No. You can't help me, and it's your fault that this happened in the first place. As such I-''

''Mr Potter! How dare you accuse the headmaster of th-''

''I'm not accusing him of doing it, but it's obviously his fault that it was a possibility. He IS the one who was _supposed_ to be making sure the goblet was safe, correct?''

He didn't give her time to answer, and turned back to him. ''I don't care much now. Every year I come back here and the school that is supposed to be under your protection has failed me time and time again. A basilisk was moving about and you did nothing. The dark lord was on the back of your professors head? You done nothing. Dementors attacking students? _You did nothing._ And now this? Forget it. I'm officially withdrawing from Hogwarts.''

Stunned silence greeted this statement. He smirked. ''As of this moment, I am no longer a hogwarts student. I'm going to participate in the tournament as a representative of myself, and I shall be conducting my own fourth year studies. I don't owe any of you anything. Half the teachers either hate me or are simply incapable of teaching, I'm in constant danger of either Slytherins or evil lords attacking me at every turn, and I haven't managed to find a single good friend here because your entire student body is a flock of sheep who change their minds every other second.

''Now, I'm going to go pack my stuff, then I ask for either a private room as accommodation, or I can find my own place outside the school grounds. I'm sure I can come back to the school just for the tasks then leave again, yeah?''

He turned around then, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. By this point the great hall was empty, so he started to head towards the Gryffindor common room. As the adrenaline left his system, he started shaking, and he fell to his knees in the middle of the seventh floor corridor. What the hell had he just done?

* * *

AN: Hello there. I was writing the war of the three brothers [and I've nearly got the next chapter finished], but I quickly realised that confining myself to just one fanfic would kill me, since I wouldn't be able to use all my ideas in that one. My muse must not be contained!

Anyway, this is one that's been on my mind for a while. I DO realise it starts off a little speedy, but it's not exactly going to be an extensive fic. I don't have any plan for it, nor do I know where I want it go. In a way it's here as kind of a trial run, to see how ideas and such I have might be received. So for this one fic, if you're going to review I'd appreciate leaving a review on what the content itself is like, rather than how it is given.

Thanks! Luxy out! ~


	2. 1: Sticks and Stones

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harry Potter belongs to our wonderful saviour Rowling, and I am but her humble servant._

 **Chapter 1 - Sticks and stones**

Valkyrie was bored. This twisting, turning matrix of a portal was _dull_. She huffed and watched as the spectrum of colour flickered past her. At first it had hurt her head - but then, that was right after she had woken up from the knockout. Soon after she had been mildly entertained by the light show, but now she was fed up. Where was she going? Just what had that _thing_ done to the bloody portal?

She had spent the last half an hour contemplating the pros and cons of being stuck here for eternity. On the downside, eternity. That was a loooong time. And Valkyrie was not one for patience. On the other hand, in three thousand years when she was finally pulled out by Fletcher's descendant, she could parade the fact that she was older than everyone. That would be kind of cool. Maybe Skulduggery would still be around?

But as she was trying to decide exactly how much she would have to eat after three thousand years of imprisonment, everything turned black for an instant, before she was felt herself speed up and fly forward.

Right through a door.

* * *

It took Harry a good five seconds to shake off the surprise he felt when a girl suddenly tumbled out of the wall. Then, he shook his head and jumped up, brandishing his wand.

''Who the hell are you? Where did you come from? How the hell did you ju-''

''Shut up. Headache.'' The girl spat back at him, before she stood up and looked around. Looking vaguely annoyed, she turned back to him. Staring at him for a couple of seconds, she caught his eye then burst out laughing.

''Wh… what's so funny? Stop that. I don't look _that_ bad, surely.''

''No, it's just... '' she snorted, ''it's just, that's a stick. You're threatening me with a stick. Holding me at stick point. It's quite amusing.''

He just stared blankly at her for a few seconds. ''Are you alright?''

''Me? I'm great. In fact, look-'' The girl reached behind her back and pulled out… a long stick.

''See? I have a stick too. It's bigger than yours.''

''It's not a stick, it's…'' he looked down at his wand. ''Well, I suppose it is, actually. Never really thought about it before, but… whatever. It's a wand. A magic wand. How could you be here and not know that?''

''A magic… wand?'' She kept a straight face for another second before she burst out laughing again, falling to her knees in mirth. ''Oh, this is just great. I can be sent anywhere, and I get sent some place where they can't even do magic without a _wand!_ Just glorious.''

''Right. Anyway, I'm Harry, and really not in the mood for this. So I ask again - who exactly are you, and how did you get here?''

The girl began to grin, but she saw the look in his eyes and faltered. They weren't angry, but… she shivered slightly. It was like staring into pure power. She sighed. ''I'm not completely sure. I was walking - or I suppose falling - through a portal, but I ended up here instead of my own world. Probably fair to assume alternate dimension, though there could be a secret society of stick-wielding wizards where I'm from, wouldn't be all that surprising.''

He could only stare at her some more. ''And of anywhere your portal could throw you out, it happened to be in front of me. Of course it was. Sometimes I think fate just thinks of me as her little bitch.''

''Tell me about it..'' she muttered.

''Anyway, I guess so. I'm Valkyrie.'' She looked around. ''You got a place and some time to talk? I'm a little out of place here.''

He frowned suspiciously at her for a second before sighing and putting away his wand.

''Quick version first, then. This is Hogwarts, a castle in Scotland used as a school for teaching witchcraft and wizardry. This year, we're hosting a tournament that involves a single champion from each of three schools competing in three trials. For some reason, my name was announced as a fourth champion, and a lot of drama went down. I yelled at all the students, then yelled at the headmaster, then I withdrew from the school and was on my way to pack my crap. Coming?''

The girl stared at him for a second, then she grinned. ''From the sounds of it, your statement was spot on. Although fate must have been really bored to bring both of her bitches together. Lead on then. It sounds like more drama and yelling where you're going - and where there's drama and yelling, there's the opportunity to hit people.''

* * *

Valkyrie watched as Harry said something indiscernible to the painting, before it swung open. ' _That's pretty handy',_ she thought, following him through. Stepping into the room, they was met with a blanket of silence that was so thick she wondered if she could cut it.

They got halfway through the room before an angry looking redhead pushed his way to the front of the crowd. ''Who the hell is that then, Potter? She certainly isn't a Gryffindor, why is she in here? Or can you just not get enough of your bloody rule breaking, then?''

''Clam it, Weasley. There are no rules against bringing other people into your house common room, just your antagonistic black-and-white views. Or did you never stop to think about the fact that people who aren't in Gryffindor are also perfectly functioning humans?'' Harry snarked back, glaring at the boy.

''Aww. You called me perfect.''

Harry just frowned at her for a second, before he sighed and shook his head. Turning back to 'Weasley', he said ''You've made your position perfectly clear, so I don't want anything more to do with you. Do me a favor and piss off, yeah?''

The kid just looked at him, dumbfounded, as Harry turned and walked up the stairs. She started to follow him up, when he turned around from the top of them. ''Oh, and Ronald? I'm no longer a Hogwarts student, so the rules don't apply to me anyway.'' Harry turned again, and vanished into a door. Valkyrie was about to follow him up when the redhead turned to her instead.

''Hey, you, girl. Take my advice, and drop him now. He's a temperamental, moody, lying, trouble-making ass. You don't want to go making friends with that sort… but I can help you there.'' He stuck out a freckled hand and looked at her as if she should be honored to be chosen as his friend.

She hit him and walked up the stairs, grinning to herself as she heard him hit the floor.

* * *

''That everything?'' Valkyrie asked him, as he shut his trunk.

''Yeah, that's it.'' He sighed, and looked around. ''And good riddance to this hole. We should go now.'' With that, he turned and walked out the door, heading back down the stairs. Entering the common room again, he looked around in slight confusion. Ron was sitting in a chair moaning, while Ginny was trying to help set his broken nose. Harry noted with some amusement that she wasn't trying particularly hard to be gentle.

''What happened to him?'' Harry asked, turning round and looking suspiciously at Valkyrie as she followed him in.

''Oh, that arse? I hit him. Hard.''

Harry just blinked at her before he grinned and started walking towards the portrait, trying to hold in his snorts. This time, they got across the room unopposed and they stepped out - right into the path of Professor McGonagall.

''Good evening, Mr Potter. I've been asked to escort you to Headmaster Dumbledore's office, but before I do I… who is this, exactly?''

''This is Valkyrie, a friend. She offered to let me stay at her place when I'm not taking part in the tournament, so she came over to pick me up.''

''...I see. Anyway, as I was saying - I must implore you to think about the decision you're making. I'm not asking as your head of house, but simply as Minerva McGonagall. I… I, and several other members of staff would deeply regret your leaving. I know you've had some problems, but-''

''I'm sorry, Proffes… Minerva. I've thought about this for a long time, but today was… it was the last straw. There are some things I'll hate leaving behind, but I'm simply not safe here. The mains reasons I stayed were because of Ron and Hermione, but after tonight… I just can't. Not anymore.''

The woman sighed and nodded, before abruptly turning and walking off, head hung slightly. Harry watched her for a second before he started to follow. None of them spoke all the way to the office of the headmaster.

''Whipped cream.'' Minerva waited expectantly as the gargoyle nodded and jumped aside, and the stairs ascended.

Harry made to follow her, but he turned to see Valkyrie standing there staring at the Gargoyle.

''That. Is. Awesome.'' She muttered as she moved closer to it, before it suddenly winked at her.

She shrieked slightly and ran up the stairs ahead of Harry who just watched her and chuckled, stepping on after. Making it up to her he started to speak before she turned and glared at him.

''Not. A word.'' Abruptly she turned and continued up. Sighing, he followed her through the door to the office that Minerva had held open for them.

''Good evening, Headmaster.'' Harry began, before either he or Minerva could start talking.

''Ah, hello there Harry. Have you calmed down enough to speak with me?''

''Calmed down? No, I'm completely and utterly livid, but I shall restrain myself for now.''

''Well, that is… something. Before we begin, may I ask who exactly your friend is…?''

''As I explained to your deputy, this is Valkyrie. She's going to be letting me crash at her place for the duration of the tournament, since I can't exactly transfer to another school until next year.''

''Harry my boy, I'm sure that won't be necessary. I know you're angry, but we can come to an agreement and-''

''No! Damnit, are you so blind? _I'm not safe here._ I don't _want_ to be here and I don't _need_ to be here. But hey, I can see you're trying, so tell you what. If you can get me out of this tournament with my health and magic intact, then I'll _consider_ coming back. Until then, your answer is a no.''

Albus simply stared at the boy for a couple of seconds, before turning to the girl. '' _Legimens''_ he muttered under his breath, point his wand at her from under the table.

She gasped, and Harry looked around in surprise, before he turned back to the headmaster and saw that the old man was staring intently at Valkyrie. Angrily, Harry whipped out his wand and stepped in front of her, breaking the line. ''What the **HELL** are you doing to her?''

''I was simply-''

''HE WAS IN MY MIND!'' She yelled, before swiping furiously at the headmaster. He raised his eyebrow, before a shadow rose up behind him and slammed down, pinning him to the table.

''HOW DARE YOU?'' She shrieked again, advancing on him.

Harry simply reached up and grabbed her arm slightly. ''Don't. He's not worth it… and he's my problem anyway.''

She glared at him before huffing and backing off, though the shadows never released him.

Turning to Minerva, he said ''I'd like to get out of here now, please. My stuff is packed and Dobby has already brought it to the Leaky Cauldron for me. If you could get us there somehow…''

''Of… of course, Mr Potter. What about Albus?''

''He'll be fine once I leave.''

''Alright then… one second.'' She pulled a small stone out of her second and set it on the desk before her. Concentrating for a second, she pointed her wand at it with the incantation '' _Portus.''_ The rock glowed blue for a second before dying down. Picking it up, Harry turned it over in his hand.

''How do I get it to work?''

''It will take you both to the Leaky Cauldron when you're both holding it.''

Harry nodded, and turned to see Valkyrie with her hand clasped over her mouth, seemingly having a small laughing fit.

''That… that's a rock. That's a magical transportation rock. A taxi rock? Bus rock? Train rock? Super rock! Travel rock!'' She giggled again, trying desperately to hold in the rest of her laughter. ''I love you guys.''

Shaking his head, Harry smiled at his old Transfiguration professor before he held out the rock to Valkyrie, who grinned at him before reaching out and grabbed it. He felt the familiar tug at his navel before they were both pulled out of the office, into the twisting, turning journey that was a portkey.


	3. 2: The bank

**Chapter 2**

The portkey dropped them off at a small enclosed area in the leaky cauldron, set aside specifically for arrival by taxi rocks. Harry picked up his trunk and Hedwig's cage before he moved off towards the old barman.

''Hey Tom. Do you have a room available at the moment? For two, preferably with separate beds.''

''M… Mr potter? What are you doing here?'' Tom glanced around in confusion, as if looking for a teacher or some sort of escort.

''I… I left Hogwarts. Look, would you mind keeping it quiet that you saw me here? I just need a room for a couple of days then I'll be gone.''

Tom cleared his throat. ''Of course, nobody will know you've been here. A two bedroom room is 3 galleons per night per person. Leave your stuff there and I'll take it up later, unless you'd like to go up now?''

''No, we have some business in Diagon alley first. We'll be around later on, though I don't know how late we'll be. It's already coming up to 8pm and there's a fair bit to do.''

''Not a problem Mr Potter. Here's your room key, if I'm not up I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding it. Room 8, second floor.''

''Thanks. See you.''

He turned and walked towards the back door of the pub.

''Sooo…'' Valkyrie started casually. ''Am I not good enough to share a bed with?''

Harry looked at her and sighed. ''This is all you're going to do for as long as I'll know you, isn't it?''

''Yup!'' She said happily.

He shook his head as they arrived at a brick wall. Pulling out his stick, he tapped on a couple of bricks in a random order. All of a sudden, the bricks started moving and reforming, turning into a huge archway.

''That is sick.'' She stated, then nodded to agree with herself. Stepping through the archway, she looked down the magical alley. Even at night, the sights, sounds and ambient magic were enough to make her jealous of this worlds secret magical society. ''This is even more sick.''

''Yup. First though we need to go to the bank. I want to withdraw enough galleons to do us for a couple of weeks, and I want to look into several things there. At this time of night, that's all we can do. We can come back tomorrow to do some shopping.''

He turned and started walking in the direction of the big marble building, visible even in the dark. She followed, still looking about her in wonder at the different shops, before suddenly stopping.

Noticing that he was now alone, Harry turned around and raised an eyebrow. ''What's wrong?''

''I… this… that's a broomstick. An actual broomstick. But that's a joke, right? A novelty item? A trick? Advertising. Surely. I mean, of course it is. There's no way that _broomsticks_ are actual things. Nuh-uh… right?''

Harry just smirked at her. ''What's the matter? Is our lower-class wand magic surprising to you wandless prodigies?''

Laughing at her glare, he turned and started walking towards the bank again. Muttering darkly, she followed him towards it. He reached the entrance, which was guarded by two short, portly folk who were capable of making someone like Ghastly look like a princess. They grinned maliciously and winked at her, brandishing their axes.

So not someone to mess about with, she wagered.

Inside the bank, Harry walked up to one of the tellers there. ''I'd like to visit my account please, after a talk with whoever the current Potter account manager is.''

The teller - who she assumed was a gremlin or something - merely grunted and slid forward several forms. ''Sigh each and present me with your key please. I'll alert manager Griphook, you may have to wait up to twenty minutes to get a meeting.''

Harry nodded and slid his key over. After it was accepted, the two were led into a small room. It was bare, except for a table, on one side of which was a chair and on the other was a small bench. They sat down on the bench to wait.

''Alright.'' Harry abruptly began speaking after a couple of minutes. ''This is the first time we've actually been able to take a breather and sit down for a bit. We need a game-plan, but first - could you tell me a little bit about how you actually got here? I know nothing about you except your first name and that you can apparently control shadows.''

She looked thoughtfully at him. He seemed trustworthy enough, and she didn't exactly know anyone else in this world, but he was right. They were complete strangers. Need to know, she decided for him.

''Well… alright. Abridged version then. My taken name is Valkyrie Cain. I'm a detective in my world, and partners with someone named Skulduggery. There was this cult that worshiped a race of Gods, named the Faceless Ones. This cult forced my friend Fletcher to use his powers in order to open up a portal to their world. A couple of them came through, and we managed to destroy some, but in the end we defeated them by reversing the portal and dragging them back through. Unfortunately, Skulduggery was also dragged through.''

''Fast forward a year, and we manage to find the key that will allow Fletcher to open the portal again. He does so, and I go into the dimension of the forbidden ones. I find Skulduggery in several pieces, and in order to prove that I'm not a hallucination, I put him back together. Then, I-''

''Hold up. Several pieces? Hallucination?''

''He's a Skeleton. And he was tortured into insanity by the Faceless Ones.''

''Oh.''

''Anyway. We go back to the portal, and he goes through. As I'm about to follow however, a Faceless One appears behind me and attacks. I managed to get into the portal via a perfectly intentional swan dive, but it done something to the portal. Shot a blue beam of light at it that I assume is what messed it up. Instead of being transported back to my own dimension, I end up in some sort of vortex for a good couple of hours. Suddenly I'm shot out, and I land in front of you. Next thing I know you're threatening me with a stick-''

''Wand.''

''Right. You're threatening me with a stick, and the rest is history.''

''Alright... sounds exciting. Some questions first. Why was Fletcher the only one who could open a portal, and what did you mean by 'taken' name?''

''Basically, the magic wielders of our world are divided into two categories. Elementalists, and Adepts. Elementals like myself use the powers of Earth, Wind, Water and Fire to fight. Adepts are more individualistic - they have powers like necromancy, teleportation or even things as simple as pure energy. I use both elemental and necromancy - the shadows you saw earlier - but once I reach a certain age I'll have to choose between them. Now, Fletcher is a teleporter. The last remaining teleporter. His powers are such that they can be used to open a portal between worlds, if he's using something that links him to the other world. For example, when the cult originally forced him to open the portal, they made him touch the remains of a Faceless One to do it. The second time, he used the original Skull of my partner. That's probably why they haven't opened up a new portal - they have no body parts of mine to use in order to bring me back, and I don't know if my hair or my reflection will work.''

''Reflection?''

''Basically, my clone. By using a certain kind of magic on a mirror, I can make my reflection step out of it. I use her as a substitute while I'm out on an investigation, to prevent my family from finding out about it.''

''That's handy, but I don't think it would count as the real you either. Hopefully your hair is enough.''

''Yeah, maybe. Anyway, your other question. Basically, everyone has three names. Your given name is the one you're born with - for example, Harry. Or Stephanie, in my case. The problem, is that people who know your given name are able to use it to control you. That's why we take another name - for example, Valkyrie. This 'taken name' protects the first, and stops people from controlling you using it. Your third name is your 'true' name. Everybody has one, and they're all unique, but they were hidden in the book of names, which was destroyed. If you have access to your true name, it's also access to unfathomable power were you to use it. You would become essentially immortal, able to do anything simply by willing it. That's why nobody was allowed to look at the book.''

''I see. Actually, I think we have something like that here. I asked Dumbledore once how it was that Merlin was so powerful, and he replied 'because he knew his name.' Obviously I wasn't aware of what he meant at the time, but now I know. I wonder if I could find that out somehow…?''

''Most interesting, Miss Cain. Most interesting indeed.''

She froze, and turned around slowly. Standing there, in the corner of the room, was another gremlin.

''How… how long have you been there?''

''Why Mr Potter, I've been here since before you. And I have to say, I'm VERY interested in what young Valkyrie here has to say.''

''So much for privacy.''

He chuckled. ''Indeed. I am Griphook, the manager goblin of the Potter accounts. A pleasure.''

''Oh. I totally thought you were gremlins.''

He looked surprised for just a second before he gave a deep, throaty laugh. ''I like you, Miss Cain. And don't worry, I shall keep your secrets. In fact, I may have some information for you. A book like that does indeed exist in our world, however only someone who actually knows their own true name is able to get to it. It was created by Merlin in fact, in order to hide the names, not unlike how it was done in your world. There is currently only one wizard in the world who has seen the book, although the price of obtaining that power was high. He was able to get to the book because of his soul, one that was so fractured and broken that the book couldn't repel it, for Merlin was using just that to defend it - soul magic. The name of that man was Tom Riddle, of course he is now known under the guise of his true name. Voldemort.''

Harry stood up suddenly, and glared down at Griphook. ''Tell me you're lying. It… not him. Why? How could it be?''

Griphook sighed. ''Riddle used a twisted and corrupted version of soul magic in order to split his soul into even different pieces. He placed each of these pieces into a different ''container'', and it was this that allowed him to get past the barrier. His soul wasn't recognized as such, and so he was able to get past. His problem, however, was that the power of his true name was split among all the pieces. Unless he manages to pull himself back together, he won't be able to truly use his name.''

''Then… the diary. The diary of Tom Riddle, that's why it was so strong! It was but a fragment of his soul, but it was almost able to completely transfer the lifeforce of Ginny over to itself, before I stabbed it with the basilisk fang.''

Griphook blinked in surprise. ''There are only three ways to destroy a horcrux, which is what these soul containers are called. The first way is by fiendfyre, cursed fire so potent that it will burn everything and anything in its path. The second is the killing curse, although that only works if used by another part of the soul - in this case, Voldemort himself. The third, coincidentally, is basilisk venom. I believe, Mr Potter, that you managed to destroy a horcrux down in that chamber. Magnificent!''

''But.. that still means there are four left, not including his original portion, which is flying around as a spirit at the moment. You destroyed the diary, and we managed to destroy a small golden cup that was found down in the vault of one of his followers. He himself is the third piece, and we have reason to believe that he created one out of his familiar, Nagini.''

''And here, Mr Potter, is where it gets interesting. If you'll remember what I said, the book of names can only be approached by one who knows their true name already.''

Griphook grinned and pointed slowly to the scar on Harry's forehead.

''And you, Mr Potter, have precisely that.''


	4. 3: The bank part two - Gold

**Chapter 3 - Gold**

'' _And here, Mr Potter, is where it gets interesting. If you'll remember what I said, the book of names can only be approached by one who knows their true name already.''_

 _Griphook grinned and pointed slowly to the scar on Harry's forehead._

'' _And you, Mr Potter, have precisely that.''_

''I… what?'' Harry blinked in confusion.

Valkyrie snorted. ''Maybe your true name is scarhead?''

''Probably, knowing my luck.''

''Alas, it is not to be so. Probably. You see, Mr. Potter… we believe that the fifth horcrux is in fact, you. Or more precisely, your scar.''

Harry took that precise moment in time to throw up in the corner of the room. ''There… there's a piece of HIM inside me?''

Griphook faltered for a moment, but his grin quickly returned. ''Unfortunately, it seems so. When he was trying to eradicate you that fateful night, he unintentionally bound a piece of his soul to you in his desperate attempt to counteract his own curse. That is why you can approach the book - the piece of Voldemort in your scar knows its true name. If my prediction is correct, the book will misinterpret this as you knowing it, and you will be able to proceed.''

''Alright, but… well I don't know. What exactly would knowing my true name do for me?''

''It depends heavily on the person. Think of every individual name as a person, or as a spirit. A name could be used several thousand years ago, then happen to appear again. It would retain the memories of that past 'version' of itself - every single one is unique, like a person locked deep inside you. But at the same time, it's still you - an alter ego. It's difficult to explain. I suppose a better way of explaining it is that the spirit isn't necessarily your match in personality, but it is attracted to you because of it, and it would then gain your traits. As for what it would do for you, well… quite simply, unimaginable power. The ability to pull yourself together should you be ripped into shreds, even decapitated. The ability to create earthquakes or tear cities asunder with but a flick of your wrist, the power to completely and utterly obliterate the world should you wish it. This, Mr Potter, is why none should approach the book. You could, of course, have a pure spirit which would do naught but good things for the world, curing plagues and disease. The chances of getting a malevolent spirit hell bent on destruction are too high, however.''

''I… I should probably admit something.'' Valkyrie suddenly muttered, unusually serious.

''The book in the other world, it was protected but not in the same way. The power of our three leaders created an impassable barrier around it, protecting it. One of the three was corrupt however, and teamed up with an evil man named Serpine to betray the other two and get to the book. They succeeded, but the book still had far too much power. Serpine then turned on the third and killed him, destroying the barrier. At this moment, both me and my partner Skullduggery were there, trying to stop them. We did it, Skullduggery killing Serpine after I was targeted. Injured, I turned and… I found I was beside the book. It immediately turned to find me, and well… I saw it. My true name.''

Harry and Griphook were staring at her with their mouths open. Someone with infinite power and she… was just sitting here? How did she have trouble with the ancient one? Could she not create a portal back to her own world?

''But then… why are you-'' Harry began to speak, but was cut off.

''I sealed it. My name, it was… well. I found out that it was evil. Malicious and cruel, she… she only wanted to cause pain and suffering. I went to great lengths to seal her power away, had runes carved into my heart. Not an experience I'd like to go through again.''

''Such is the roll of the dice, or the flip of a coin. Fate is certainly fickle, but take solace in the fact that you are not the same as her. Your going so far to stop her shows that.''

''Oh, I know. I'm not worried about that, just… I'd hate to be judged for her. That's why I haven't told anyone back home, I don't think I could stand it. There was a prophecy that someone would destroy the world. Visions of… visions of me slaughtering thousands. It wasn't me, of course - at least I hope so, I think it was her. That's why I can't tell anyone my name… they would know who I was. The destroyer of worlds…''

''...Darquesse.''

Valkyrie looked up in surprise and sudden fear at the goblin, who was grimacing himself. ''How… how did you know?''

''We have our own prophecies here, child. Do not fear however - we goblins rarely take interest in the human world. If you want to blow it up, go right ahead. However… I do not believe you would do it, so I shan't say a thing. Especially if you want to go back to your own world, in time. Who am I to stop you?''

''...'' Valkyrie didn't say anything, but she was glaring darkly at the wall. Stupid prophecy. All she wanted to do was live her life. Was that too much to ask?

''Now, Mr. Potter. About this book -''

''I don't want to go. I… I can't stand the thought of it being bad. I'll find someway to beat Voldemort, but not like that. Never like that.''

''A wise choice indeed. I was simply about to suggest that I give you a key you into its vault, not to use but to ensure it's kept safe. The more people that are keyed in, the stronger the protections are - few people are trusted with this, however. Since you already have knowledge of it, I see no harm in asking you to add to the protection, if you are willing.''

''How does the protection work though? What will I have to do?''

''Simply, we key you in via your blood and magic. A single drop and a low powered spell will do, and from there you won't even feel the effects. If someone was to try and break through the protections however, you and others like you would be the last line of defence. You would feel your magic draining as it powered the backup protections, but it won't be dangerous.''

''And what are the chances of that happening?''

''It hasn't ever happened. I highly doubt it will now, but we always refresh those keyed in just to be safe. You won't get anything in return, however. It's simply down to your charity, if you wish it to happen. If you're injured because of it you shall of course receive compensation.''

Harry frowned, thinking about it. Valkyrie didn't seem in the mood to give her opinion, but he thought it was a pretty easy choice anyway.

''Alright, I'll do it. But I'd also like to visit my other vault.''

''Vaults.''

''I… what?''

''You're the heir to the Potter fortune. Do you really think your parents left you with that one pile of gold? No, that was simply your trust fund. Your emancipation has enabled you to visit the valuables vault, and given you access to your properties. The actual gold in the main vault will still be unavailable to you, until you're 17. Officially.''

''Officially?''

''Unofficially, I may have to deduct sums from the main vault to repay debts owed to us. T'would be a shame if I happened to misplace those sums, especially if you were around to see.''

Harry blinked. ''Um… thanks, Griphoo-''

''Of course, I may misplace a small percentage into my own room. By accident, of course.''

Harry grinned and even Valkyrie looked up this time, smirking. ''Of course.''

''Right then, this way. We'll go first to the vault containing material possessions, by which time a decent amount of galleons will have been transferred from your family fault to your trust one. It should be more than enough for you to use at the moment, but… well. The potter fortune isn't quite as huge as it used to be. See, it's been unused for 13 years. Revenue from the one or two businesses you own have certainly helped, but a lot went to the war effort, and of course we've had to deduct an annual sum from it, for all three open vaults. By muggle terms, you have around four million. While still a lot of money, it's admittedly a lot less than what it used to be.''

''I hate you.'' Valkyrie had been getting an increasingly annoyed look on her face as Griphook spoke.

Harry smirked at her, then spoke to Griphook. ''That's fine. How much is in the trust vault, including what's being moved now?''

''Roughly three hundred thousand GBP, so thirty thousand galleons. Don't worry though, it's all shrunk and manageable. You can take it all with you in a single small bag we can provide for you.''

''Alright, thank-''

''For the low, low price of 150 galleons.''

''I feel like this is going to be a common occurrence, but alright.''

''Yes, it probably is. But enough talk - time to ride.''

They had arrived at the tracks, and a small cart awaited them, sitting innocently in the middle.

''After you.'' Harry hid his grin [and he was almost positive he noticed Griphook doing the same thing] as Valkyrie climbed into the cart.

''Is this… safe? It seems a bit rickety.''

''Certainly! Nothing about Gringotts is anything below perfection.''

''Alright…''

''Why, this very cart is the newest model! I believe it goes at around 120 mph, as a matter of fact.''

''Oh, cool.''

…

''WAIT, WHAT-?''

And then they were off, flying down the track at an alarming speed. Harry laughed merrily as Valkyrie screamed profanities and held on for her life. Unfortunately for him, the nearest thing she had to grab was his leg. And she held it tight.

''Don't worry!'' He shouted over the sound of the rushing wind. ''They're magically enchanted so that you can't fall out. Calm down for a moment and you'll realise that you can barely even feel it moving, the only problem is seeing everything rush by so fast.''

Of course, she didn't listen and just gripped harder.

\- AN: Hey all. Luxy here. I've been bad, huh? I don't even want to look at how long it's been since the last chapter, and honestly I don't have much of an excuse for that. I lost all inspiration and motivation to write, so I didn't. I've written this one about a paragraph at a time, and you can see how often I did even that much by it's length, despite the time spent. But I couldn't leave it unpublished, so here it is. The next chapter will start out of the bank - so don't worry, no more Gringotts. [Or Gremlins.] I'll briefly mention what was found in the material vault, but I don't plan on there being much. This isn't a super!Harry story and I'm not going to have him come out of his vault decked in super armor and wielding a wand of unimaginable strength. [When they first meet, and his ''powerful eyes'' are mentioned, that's because he was in a very bad mood and his magic was a little unstable.] Of course he has more raw magic power than a lot of people [100 dementors one boy hello], but he won't be Voldemort or Dumbledore levels of power. Also the reason I decided against him learning his name.

I ain't going to sit here and promise that I'll start updating frequently. This fic will most definitely be finished at some point - but it won't be soon. I really do love writing, but I rarely have the urge or motivation to do it, and I'm not going to force myself.

Hope you enjoyed anyway!

~Luxy out!


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